Hestra Features & Highlights

Overview

Guide

Video

Hestra Glove Care

Hestra gloves are made to last. With some love and care they will last even longer. Good for you, good for the environment. Here are 5 tips for a long life:

1) Grease the leather regularly and it will resist moisture, wear and tear better. Moisten the leather a little first. Use a polishing cloth and rub in the grease until the leather is saturated. Do this in the evening and the grease is absorbed during the night.

2) If you have gloves with breathable materials like Gore-Tex, you should avoid silicone impregnation. It clogs the pores and reduces the material’s breathability.

3) With the carabiner clasp that comes with some models, you can easily attach the gloves to a backpack. In that way, you don’t risk losing them, and they can dry without losing shape.

4) Dyed leather may stain clothing when wet, so don’t place a wet glove on other garments. Choose a model with a natural leather color if you do not want to risk bleeding.

5) Gloves rarely get damaged while skiing. Instead, the edges of skis and boot buckles are normally the cause of damage to your gloves. Be careful when handling your skis or boots!

2) Gloves dry best in an upright position. Some models come with a carabiner clasp that, apart from keeping the gloves together, also is useful when drying.

3) Do not turn lined gloves inside out. The liner, insulation and membrane can be difficult to put back into place.

4) Gloves with a removable lining dry faster when the liners are removed, and the removable liners are also easy to wash. Dirt clogs pores and fibers reducing breathability. However, wool liners must be hand washed and dried on a flat surface.

5) Hestra do not recommend washing leather gloves frequently. If you do wash them, put on the gloves and wash with soap and lukewarm water. Squeeze out the water gently without twisting. Models without several layers or leather can be machine-washed at 40°C or less.

Guide

The Leather Guide

Leather is a natural, living material. It is a by-product of the meat industry and one of our oldest materials for clothing. It is beautiful, supple and provides a comfortable fit. Some leathers withstand moisture well, while others are softer. The characteristics of leather are partly a result of where the animal lived. Hestra selects its leather with great care and work closely with the tanneries. Since it has been working with leather since 1936, Hestra has a good network of quality-conscious suppliers.

Many of Hestra's gloves are made of leather without dyes. For its coloured gloves, Hestra only uses drum dyed leather. This requires a better quality raw material than when dying the surface, but means that the leather retains its natural appearance and characteristics. Depending on the intended purpose of the gloves, Hestra chooses nappa, suede or split. Elk split leather is porous and insulating and it's used to make the Loke outdoor gloves that are perfect to wear around the campfire. Nappa is more moisture resistant and is therefore used for most of Hestra's ski gloves.

Army Leather is the most durable, originally used to make gloves for military purposes. It is a specially treated goatskin that withstands tough, outdoor conditions. The leather has good impregnation and its structural properties provide effective protection against moisture.

Cowhide is a durable leather with good impregnation properties. It takes on beautiful nuances in colour when dyed and resists moisture and abrasion well. It is therefore widely used for many of Hestra's ski gloves.

Nubuck is a leather where the surface – the shiny and smooth side – is polished giving it a suede-like feeling.

Peccary is wild boar leather from South America. It is soft, smooth, warm and considered to be one of the most exclusive leathers for gloves.

Elk Leather is a soft, rich leather with good insulating properties and a fine texture surface. Although it’s durable leather, it has a slightly sensitive surface. Hestra uses elk leather from Sweden and Finland, where the climate produces the best quality hides.

Drum Dyed Leather is colored all the way through, allowing the leather to retain its natural characteristics. This method requires higher quality raw materials than when the leather is only surface-dyed.

Wild boar Leather is a robust leather that is both tear and abrasion resistant. It has a porous structure that insulates well. Hestra uses Swedish wild boar leather for its Loke outdoor glove.

Guide

The Hestra Glove System

The HESTRA GLOVE SYSTEM is based on the layering principle – the idea of wearing many different functional pieces of clothing. By using layers of gloves, you can regulate the temperature according to the weather conditions and your activity level.

1) Next to your skin, wear a liner that carries away moisture and creates a thin, warming layer of air around the skin. You should keep it on to avoid contact with cold surfaces when performing tasks that require finger dexterity.

A thin liner worn inside a glove increases heat by about 20 percent.

2) The base glove is the one you use most frequently. It keeps your hands warm in normal cold conditions, wicks away the moisture and provides protection against wind and moisture. The base glove is available with a fixed or removable liner. Having a removable liner makes it easier to regulate the temperature.

3) Shell Gloves are a layer of added protection that you pull on when it’s biting cold, wet or if you’re standing still for prolonged periods. This creates another layer of air that insulates against the cold. With a liner and shell glove, insulation increases by approximately 50 percent compared to only wearing a base glove.

Shell Gloves should be generous enough to leave room for a large volume of insulating air.

Guide

Hestra Glove Care

Hestra gloves are made to last. With some love and care they will last even longer. Good for you, good for the environment. Here are 5 tips for a long life:

1) Grease the leather regularly and it will resist moisture, wear and tear better. Moisten the leather a little first. Use a polishing cloth and rub in the grease until the leather is saturated. Do this in the evening and the grease is absorbed during the night.

2) If you have gloves with breathable materials like Gore-Tex, you should avoid silicone impregnation. It clogs the pores and reduces the material’s breathability.

3) With the carabiner clasp that comes with some models, you can easily attach the gloves to a backpack. In that way, you don’t risk losing them, and they can dry without losing shape.

4) Dyed leather may stain clothing when wet, so don’t place a wet glove on other garments. Choose a model with a natural leather color if you do not want to risk bleeding.

5) Gloves rarely get damaged while skiing. Instead, the edges of skis and boot buckles are normally the cause of damage to your gloves. Be careful when handling your skis or boots!

5 Truths about Washing & Drying

2) Gloves dry best in an upright position. Some models come with a carabiner clasp that, apart from keeping the gloves together, also is useful when drying.

3) Do not turn lined gloves inside out. The liner, insulation and membrane can be difficult to put back into place.

4) Gloves with a removable lining dry faster when the liners are removed, and the removable liners are also easy to wash. Dirt clogs pores and fibers reducing breathability. However, wool liners must be hand washed and dried on a flat surface.

5) Hestra do not recommend washing leather gloves frequently. If you do wash them, put on the gloves and wash with soap and lukewarm water. Squeeze out the water gently without twisting. Models without several layers or leather can be machine-washed at 40°C or less.

The Leather Guide

Leather is a natural, living material. It is a by-product of the meat industry and one of our oldest materials for clothing. It is beautiful, supple and provides a comfortable fit. Some leathers withstand moisture well, while others are softer. The characteristics of leather are partly a result of where the animal lived. Hestra selects its leather with great care and work closely with the tanneries. Since it has been working with leather since 1936, Hestra has a good network of quality-conscious suppliers.

Many of Hestra's gloves are made of leather without dyes. For its coloured gloves, Hestra only uses drum dyed leather. This requires a better quality raw material than when dying the surface, but means that the leather retains its natural appearance and characteristics. Depending on the intended purpose of the gloves, Hestra chooses nappa, suede or split. Elk split leather is porous and insulating and it's used to make the Loke outdoor gloves that are perfect to wear around the campfire. Nappa is more moisture resistant and is therefore used for most of Hestra's ski gloves.

Army Leather is the most durable, originally used to make gloves for military purposes. It is a specially treated goatskin that withstands tough, outdoor conditions. The leather has good impregnation and its structural properties provide effective protection against moisture.

Cowhide is a durable leather with good impregnation properties. It takes on beautiful nuances in colour when dyed and resists moisture and abrasion well. It is therefore widely used for many of Hestra's ski gloves.

Nubuck is a leather where the surface – the shiny and smooth side – is polished giving it a suede-like feeling.

Peccary is wild boar leather from South America. It is soft, smooth, warm and considered to be one of the most exclusive leathers for gloves.

Elk Leather is a soft, rich leather with good insulating properties and a fine texture surface. Although it’s durable leather, it has a slightly sensitive surface. Hestra uses elk leather from Sweden and Finland, where the climate produces the best quality hides.

Drum Dyed Leather is colored all the way through, allowing the leather to retain its natural characteristics. This method requires higher quality raw materials than when the leather is only surface-dyed.

Wild boar Leather is a robust leather that is both tear and abrasion resistant. It has a porous structure that insulates well. Hestra uses Swedish wild boar leather for its Loke outdoor glove.

The Hestra Glove System

The HESTRA GLOVE SYSTEM is based on the layering principle – the idea of wearing many different functional pieces of clothing. By using layers of gloves, you can regulate the temperature according to the weather conditions and your activity level.

1) Next to your skin, wear a liner that carries away moisture and creates a thin, warming layer of air around the skin. You should keep it on to avoid contact with cold surfaces when performing tasks that require finger dexterity.

A thin liner worn inside a glove increases heat by about 20 percent.

2) The base glove is the one you use most frequently. It keeps your hands warm in normal cold conditions, wicks away the moisture and provides protection against wind and moisture. The base glove is available with a fixed or removable liner. Having a removable liner makes it easier to regulate the temperature.

3) Shell Gloves are a layer of added protection that you pull on when it’s biting cold, wet or if you’re standing still for prolonged periods. This creates another layer of air that insulates against the cold. With a liner and shell glove, insulation increases by approximately 50 percent compared to only wearing a base glove.

Shell Gloves should be generous enough to leave room for a large volume of insulating air.

Elyse's Favorite Gloves

Follow Hestra and Backcountry.com athlete Elyse Saugstad as she shows off her favorite Hestra gloves.

About Hestra

Martin Magnusson began producing durable leather gloves for lumberjacks in 1936, in the small town of Hestra in southern Sweden. However, it wasn’t long before he branched out into new markets. Only a year later, a ski slope was built nearby, and as ski tourism grew rapidly in the area Magnusson realized that skiers needed good gloves, too. Taking his knowledge of glovemaking and applying it to this new, rapidly growing sport, Magnusson created one of the leading international glove brands for skiing, outdoor recreation, and leisure.

Hestra was guided along this path by Martin Magnusson’s sons, dedicated alpine skiers who took over the company in 1963. Hestra became increasingly associated with skiing success; Ingemar Stenmark, the legendary Swedish racer, skied to fame while wearing Hestra ski gloves. Hestra has equipped the Swedish national ski team since 1975, and Norwegian national ski team since 1981. Over the last decade, the company has undergone significant growth, both in economic terms and in the breadth of its product lines. In addition to gloves for cross-country and alpine skiing, Hestra now makes gloves for a growing number of activities such as biking, water sports, and mountaineering. In addition to its men’s gloves, it offers products designed specifically for women and kids.

Hestra gloves are known world-wide for both quality and the near-exclusive use of fine leather in its gloves. Protective yet breathable, durable yet supple, leather is the ultimate glove and mitten material. Hestra uses eight different kinds of leather in its products, matching the material to its intended use. In fact, Hestra sources all its own leather, textiles, wool, and other materials to give it complete control of the entire production chain and ensures high quality at every stage. Several models of Hestra gloves are handmade by some of the most experienced glove makers in Europe.

In addition to top-quality materials and construction, Hestra products are renown for their design. Design and development is done in cooperation with some of the world’s top pro skiers and adventurers to ensure real-world relevance. Some Hestra signature designs and features include the three-finger glove, the Hestra ‘handcuff’ retainer leash, and removable liner gloves. Models for cross-country skiing and biking emphasize fit, grip, and protection from the wind, while those made for mountaineering are notably versatile. And Hestra’s casual gloves are uniformly supple and elegant.

In this age of company diversification and brand dilution, Hestra has stuck by its original mission and even its original ownership. The company still only produces gloves and mittens, and is still run by the Magnusson family. And its commitment to quality has never wavered in its nearly 80-year history. Now that’s focus.